Phones help dial up better health

Few things are dropped into Billy Justice's grocery cart without being scanned by his smart phone first.

A former triathlete, Justice's desire to eat and live healthy has never waned and today he's even more strict about the food he consumes.

Gluten is one thing he wants to avoid though not every food product is labeled gluten-free.

Luckily there's an app for that.

A quick scan of a product's bar code using the ScanAvert app shows any ingredients he wants to avoid.

"One thing people don't realize about gluten is it's in everything. It's in seasonings we have — things that you never expect to have gluten or wheat. So if you are trying to get gluten-free the best thing to do is to go to your pantry or refrigerator and take one of these apps and start scanning," Justice said.

While Justice is not gluten intolerant, he's taking every measure to cut as much from his diet as possible.

"Most of the people who are gluten intolerant, when they eat it, they just get really sick," Justice said. "Everybody tolerates it in a different way. Some may get rashes or blemishes on their skin, sinus infections or allergies."

Registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist Katie Dean loves the apps because they help her assist people maintain a healthy, proper diet.

"They help you when doing grocery shopping and make trips to the store faster when you're looking for new products. Everyone has a smartphone these days. These apps definitely help people with food allergies. We use them all the time," Dean said.

Billy Justice limits his intake of gluten by using the app ScanAvert before making food purchases. He scans the barcode of a product and the app notifies him if it contains ingredients he wants to avoid.(Photo: EMERALD MCINTYRE/ THE NEWS-STAR)

The Food and Drug Administration lists dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat as the top eight food allergies since they account for more than 90 percent of all allergies, Dean said.

While gluten-free diets have become more popular in recent years, many products still do not list whether they contain gluten.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat that affects more than 20 million Americans. There is no form of medicine available to treat gluten-induced symptoms. It is strictly controlled by diet, Dean said.

Sensitivity to gluten affects people differently, but the main symptom is irritable bowel syndrome.

A physician at Vantage Health Plan, where Justice works, showed him the app one day after he discussed ways to cut back on gluten.

The health apps don't only scan for gluten. It is customizable so anyone with a food allergy or those wanting to avoid certain ingredients can punch in what they want to scan for, Justice said.

"Whatever allergies you have you can put it in the (app's) program and start scanning your food and it will let you know if it has it in there," Justice said. "There are several different apps out there, you just have to find the one that works the best for you. Some are better than others. You just have to play with them."

Billy Justice uses the app ScanAvert before making food purchases. He scans the barcode of a product and the app notifies him of ingredients he wants to avoid, such as gluten.(Photo: EMERALD MCINTYRE/ THE NEWS-STAR)

Justice constantly sees consumers scanning items inside local grocery stores. He feels right at home pointing his phone at each of the food products he selects.

"I don't know if they're looking for sales or scanning for their health, but there's all kinds of apps now that's doing everything for us, including helping us be healthier," Justice said.

As Director of Marketing and Sales for Vantage Health Plan, Justice is working with local restaurants to bring more gluten-free items to their menus. Several restaurants are on board and Justice believes more will follow.

Nutritionists with Vantage are working with local restaurants to come up with items to put on their menu that are gluten-free.

Fiesta Nutrition's manager and grocery specialist Robin Hitt said gluten can cause a variety of issues, but the main one is usually gastrointestinal problems.

She advises people consult with their physician first before they completely cut gluten out of their diet.

"I see people come in with completely distended bellies and they think it's because they drink Coke or eat badly, but it's because gluten is in every single thing they consume," Hitt said.

While Bob's Red Mill pancake mix is clearly labled as gluten free, some products are not as easily identified.(Photo: EMERALD MCINTYRE/ THE NEWS-STAR)

Gluten-free products are easily recognizable in health food stores, but not every item is labeled.

"The app does help when you are shopping the entire store just to quickly identify things without reading the entire label," Hitt said.

Food manufacturers are quickly realizing if they want their product sold, they need to better label contents so Hitt believes "true labeling" for every item is not far off.